If you were tasked with creating a new Onondaga County Legislature from scratch, how many legislators would you choose to represent a county population of some 458,000-plus souls? 38? 24? 19?

All three numbers once applied to the Onondaga County Legislature. The venerable 38-member board of supervisors gave way to the 24-member Legislature of the 1960s. Voters approved a reduction to 19 after the 2000 Census.

Now there’s a move afoot to prune some more. Given the costly and time-consuming nature of legislative proceedings, the limited scope of legislative business, the increasing ease of communication and a relatively static population and economy, any idea to streamline county government deserves a fair hearing.

Legislator Tom Buckel, D-Syracuse, introduced proposals this month to shrink the Legislature to as few as nine seats. The Republican majority said no, but the Ways and Means Committee may review the matter further.

Buckel argues the county charter limits the Legislature to administration and policy-making, primarily related to the budget. Land use issues are the province of towns and villages. Day-to-day operations are up to the county executive and her staff. Even legislative budget discretion is limited by mandated programs like Medicaid, social services and public safety.

With one legislator for roughly every 25,000 residents, constituent service is considered part of the job. But with some 350 elected officials in Onondaga County, each with his or her own jurisdiction, legislators generally refer callers to the proper office — or call themselves. And with cell phones, e-mail, twitter, Facebook, Blackberries, iPhones and the like, it’s never been easier.

Buckel sits on a committee reviewing the county charter. The committee’s chair, Legislator Robert DeMore, R-Fabius, worries that a smaller Legislature could change the nature of the job from part-time to full-time — and could penalize Syracuse if the city loses population in the 2010 Census.

Buckel counters that eliminating 10 legislative seats could save taxpayers more than $250,000 per year — and create a sharper focus. “With 19 part-timers, you don’t get to know each other as well,” he says. “That makes it harder to work together.”

New York counties with a tradition of town governance tend to be top-heavy: Monroe County has 28 legislators, Albany County 39, Orange County 21. Last year, Niagara County voters decided to reduce their legislature from 19 to 15 seats.

Oswego County lawmakers debated shrinking their legislature several years ago, but have stuck with 25 seats for now. Cayuga County has 15 legislators, while Madison and Cortland counties have 19, like Onondaga County.

These numbers are far above the national norm. Onondaga County ranks 125th in population among the nation’s counties, but has the 12th largest legislature among the most populous 150 counties. More than half the nation’s 3,068 counties have seven or fewer lawmakers — including the largest, Los Angeles County, where five supervisors serve a population of nearly 10 million.

Legislators may take up the matter next month. If they want to give voters the chance to weigh in on the matter this year, they’d better hurry.